A 45-year-old woman drove her 19-year-old son and another 17-year-old child nearly an hour-and-a-half away from their home in order to panhandle using fake information, authorities said. 

According to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, a sergeant with the Victorville Police Department observed a man in traffic lanes holding a sign with a child’s picture and writing on it just after 12:35 p.m. Friday at the intersection of Bear Valley Road and U.S. Highway 395 in Victorville.   

The man, identified as 19-year-old Guiseppe Militaru, was said to be holding a sign that advertised the death of a child from a car accident.   

When the sergeant went to investigate, they found that Militaru, a 17-year-old juvenile and Militaru’s mother, Mariana Pasare, drove from Pico Rivera to the High Desert to beg for money, LASD stated.  It is not known if the 17-year-old is also related to Pasare and Militaru. 

Navigation system information indicates that the intersection of Bear Valley Road and U.S. 395 is over an hour and a half away from Pico Rivera.

“The information and pictures of the children being advertised were false,” deputies said, adding that the posters, jugs and cash were collected as evidence. 

Pasare and Militaru were each cited for panhandling.  No word on whether the teenager received a citation or not was immediately available. 

The Victorville Police Department reminds the public to use caution when giving money to panhandlers.